TIMELINE-Protests in Egypt

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Feb 3 (Reuters) - Here is a timeline of events in Egypt since protests began.

Jan. 25 - Thousands of Egyptians demand an end to President Hosni Mubarak’s rule and clash with police in a “Day of Wrath” of anti-government demonstrations inspired by the downfall of Tunisia’s President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on Jan. 14.

— Protests also take place in Ismailia and Suez, east of Cairo, and in other Nile Delta cities.

Jan. 26 - In unprecedented scenes, police fight with thousands of Egyptians who defy a government ban to protest against Mubarak’s rule. Security forces arrest about 500 demonstrators over the two days, the Interior Ministry says.

Jan. 27 - Reform campaigner and former head of the IAEA Mohamed ElBaradei arrives in Cairo.

Jan. 28 - At least 24 people are killed and more than 1,000 wounded in clashes throughout Egypt, 13 are killed in Suez. Mubarak extends a curfew to all cities in Egypt.

— Mubarak orders troops and tanks into cities overnight to quell demonstrations. Thousands cheer at the news of the intervention of the army, which is seen as neutral, unlike the police who are regularly deployed to stifle dissent.

Jan. 29 - Mubarak sacks his cabinet but refuses to step down. Protesters stream back into Cairo’s central Tahrir Square in the early hours after Mubarak’s announcement.

— Later Mubarak picks intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as vice president, the first time he has appointed a deputy since he took office in 1981.

— Thousands of protesters continue to roam the streets after a curfew starts, defying an army warning that anyone violating the order would be in danger.

— Egyptians form vigilante groups and assign private doormen armed with sticks to guard property after police withdraw from the streets.

Jan. 30 - U.S. President Barack Obama urges an “orderly transition” to democracy in Egypt, stopping short of calling on Mubarak to step down.

Jan. 31 - Egypt’s army says it will not use force against Egyptians staging protests. It says freedom of expression is guaranteed to all citizens using peaceful means.

— Egypt swears in a new government. Suleiman says Mubarak has asked him to start dialogue with all political forces, including on constitutional and legislative reforms.

— Thousands in Tahrir Square hours after curfew, in a good-natured gathering, calling for the president to quit.

Feb. 1 - Mubarak declares he will surrender power when his term ends in September, offering a mixture of concessions and defiance in a televised statement.

— Around one million Egyptians protest throughout the country for Mubarak to step down immediately.

— Egypt’s central bank says banks will remain closed for a third day. Egypt’s stock exchange announces it will be closed for the fourth day on Feb. 2.

— Many protesters speak of a new push on Friday, the Egyptian weekend, to rally at Cairo’s presidential palace.

Feb. 2 - The army calls for protesters to leave the streets and curfew hours are eased. Crowds gather in Tahrir Square for a ninth day of protest, rejecting Mubarak’s timetable to leave.

— Spokesman Mustafa Naggar says the opposition is ready to negotiate with Suleiman only after Mubarak steps down.

— Troops make no attempt to intervene as violence breaks out between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups in Tahrir Square. Anti-government protesters say the attackers were police in civilian clothes.

— A Foreign Ministry statement rejects U.S. and European calls for political transition to start immediately.

Feb. 3 - Gunmen fire on anti-government protesters in Cairo, where fighting killed six and wounded more than 830. An estimated 150 people have been killed during the protests so far. The violence prompted new calls from Western powers for Mubarak to start handing over power immediately.

— The army sets up a buffer zone around Tahrir Square to separate them but new clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups continue.

— In the northeast, 4,000 people start a march in Suez calling for Mubarak to step down. In Ismailia, 2,000 hold a similar demonstration.